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Which Type of Roadmap Will You Use?

Did you know that there are many different types of roadmaps that can be used to manage your product?

In his book, Expert Product Management, Brian Lawley lists the following types of roadmaps that can be used in an organisation:

Market & Strategy Roadmap

Visionary Roadmap

Technology Roadmap

Technology Across Product Roadmap

Platform Roadmap

Internal & External Product Roadmaps

As a Product Manager, I find the Market & Strategy Roadmap and the most common roadmap, the Internal Product Roadmap, the most helpful planning tools. The Market & Strategy Roadmap as Brian simply describes it, “outlines exactly which markets you are going to be entering and then defines the strategy you are going to use to enter them.” For a more detailed view of your product, the Internal Product Roadmap details the features that will be released over time. The Internal Product Roadmap is an excellent communication tool that will tell your internal customers and stakeholders when to expect certain product functions.

The Expert Product Management book further provides an eight step guide to creating a successful roadmap. One key takeaway, is the idea of organising your Internal Product Roadmap according to the “Golden Feature”. The Golden Feature is the feature that delivers the most important customer benefit for that particular release. Use the Golden Feature and it’s associated benefit as a basis for your marketing campaign.

Brian has a range of practical tips for Product Managers. We encourage Product Managers to take a look at Brian’s book. It’s fantastic to see books on Product Management being written by active practitioners.

Founded in 2004, Brainmates provides professional Product Management and Marketing experience to medium to
large organisations. Using repeatable and flexible frameworks for Product Management and Product Marketing,
Brainmates helps clients deliver products to market that customers love.